Echo and Narcissus
by springblizzard
Summary: It's the story of Echo and Narcissus (you know, the annoying chatterbox of a nymph and self-absorbed hunter) only genderbended! Yeah... I know, usual cliche. But Hey, just give it a try. Also all reviews are welcome as long as they pertain to the story and are filled constructive criticisms.
1. Chapter 1

The days had been uneventful since Hera had placed her curse upon Echo. All the creatures of the forest were no longer willing to converse with the once charming water sprite, nor could he bring himself to reach out to them. He could do nothing but watch the movements in the forest. He stared at the deep pools and began to lament his fate. Zeus, the chief god and husband of Hera, had employed his services to keep Hera busy while Zeus was trying to… ahem…woo one of his sisters.

"_Echo, I need you to distract my wife Hera," Zeus had simply said calling him from his underwater abode._

"_Tell me, why should I follow such a dangerous request?" replied Echo appearing before the god king. He had been living in a pool near Zeus's temple for some time and had gotten to know the Olympian king over that time. The two got on well thanks to both sharing a somewhat active lifestyle, but that didn't mean that Echo was willing to risk his life for the sake of the god king's habit. _

"_I, the chief of the gods, command you. What other reason is there?" Zeus said as he threw his golden mane back in pride. Echo rolled his eyes clearly agitated by his friend's ego._

"_And risk getting in trouble with your wife?" Echo asked with a pointed look. He had never actually met the woman, but he had heard stories. "I'm sorry, but I don't plan on getting between such a… lovely couple." Zeus had no reply so Echo took that as his cue to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be getting back home. So much to do, so little time."_

"_Did I mention that one of your sisters is involved?" asked Zeus causing Echo to stop dead in his tracks._

"_I'm listening…"_

Convincing Hermes to give the sweet-talking nymph an audience with the queen of Olympus was easy enough. Hera allowed it without much opposition probably yearning for a companion in her husband's absence.

_"Speak," Hera announced to the bowing Echo. As Echo slowly lifted his head, his breathe hitched, and for the first time the sprite was struck speechless. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen with hair as black as night and eyes as clear as the pools he called home. Her white skin glowed with a celestial light found only in the gods. Hera sat upon her throne, head held high. "Speak," she repeated causing Echo to come out of his trance._

_"M-my name is Echo, and I am but a humble nymph wishing to bask in your presence," Echo blushed as her eyes focused onto his but quickly squelched the overwhelming urge to stare. Hera sneered at the nymph's pathetic display but quickly hid it behind a mask of indifference used when dealing with his useless ilk._

_"I am a goddess; there are many who wish to bask in my presence. Pray tell, what makes you any different?" Hera replied as she rested her head on her fist. She grew bored with each suitor coming for her. The whole lot was comprised of nothing more than annoying insects not even worthy of being crushed beneath the heel of her sandal._

_"In truth, I wish for something much more. I wish to be your constant companion both day and night," Echo replied entranced by the queen's expression. Even her mask of indifference seemed enchanting, and for a moment, the nymph thought how beautiful her smile would be._

_"I apologize, but if it is a lover you wish for then go elsewhere. I have no need for such a companion," replied Hera with disgust. Echo stood silent repeating her words in his head. Her voice had a soothing effect reminding him of the forest's breeze._

_"Rest assured, I have no such intention. As I have said before I simply wish to be your companion, a confidant, a friend if you will," Echo explained hands up in defense. He allowed a smile to break through his visage._

_"And what makes you so certain that I am lonely enough to need you?" Hera asked still holding her mask in place. Inside she was cringing._

_"I am sure that you have many priestesses to speak with, but there are also many other things one can only learn from men," Echo replied. _

_"What pray tell would that be?" The queen asked suddenly amused by the nymph's claims._

_"I can most certainly entertain you much better than any woman can. Of course, any woman would be glad to have a nymph such as me for a companion," Echo replied with a cocky grin. Hera drew back in disgust raging at the impetuous fool's antics._

_"If there are so many yearning for your companionship, perhaps you can keep those women occupied instead of pestering—"_

_"You misunderstand, Dearest Hera," Echo interrupted before she could banish him from her presence, "Purely physical relationships have grown to bore me immensely. That is why I came to you. With you I have no need to worry about romance, for you, the goddess of marriage, has no need for such trivial things. Just as I said before, I simply wish to bask in the presence of a great beauty without worrying that she may fall for me at any moment. I am quite charming you see."_

_Hera could not help but to roll her eyes at his vain words. "Why not seek the presence of Artemis? I am sure that she would be more willing to take on a… male such as yourself far more easily than I."_

_"Artemis is but a child. I wish for more… intellectual pursuits. My Dearest Hera, you are the most proper candidate for those pursuits," Echo smirked when he noticed Hera's defenses waver for a moment. He had finally found a chink in her armor, "I hear it everywhere. Hera is far more beautiful than Aphrodite, much smarter than Athena, far stronger than Ares, and infinitely more powerful than Zeus. How can anyone honestly say anything to refute this when you stand before me as proof for all these claims? O course, unless you are unable to fulfill my wish."_

_"Very well," Hera looked away unwilling to admit defeat, "What is it you desire?"_

_"Is it not obvious already? I wish to be allowed to stay by your side. There is nothing more that I want," Echo replied leaving the queen speechless. He bowed low and gave Hera one of his brilliant smiles, "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess."_

**Ok, I finally started posting. I've been a member for a long time here, but I haven't really been active. My computer is simply overflowing with all the stuff I've written but never gotten around to posting. This is the first part of my fanfiction about my favorite myth about Echo and Narcissus, but I've changed a few things. The two titular characters have been genderbended so please no one get mad at me if it's goes against the usual norms. Also thanks to anyone for reading through this sorry excuse for literature. I'll post the next part in two weeks, and It would please me immensely if the replies had any sort of constructive criticism. *hint, hint* ;)  
**

**Also I know that most people would find Hera to be a bit OOC in this, but I guess this is what I kind of imagined her to be. Also most people probably aren't big fans of her because of her wicked temper and constant cursing (literally), but what would you do if you were married to a cheating jerk? I guess, I sympathize with her on some level although I've never actually been cheated on. What can I say? Girls gotta stick together!**


	2. Chapter 2

For the first few days, Hera refused to speak to the nymph, but that didn't seem to faze him. All day he would sit beside her happily chatting about the beautiful décor of Olympus, the view from his home, and anything else that came to mind. Then while in the midst of talking about adding guard rails to Olympus, Echo was interrupted by Hera's very irritated voice.

_"Why must you always talk?" Hera asked through gritted teeth. Echo could only smirk triumphantly at the fact that he had finally gotten her to speak._

_"My voice is quite nice, don't you think?" his smirk grew wider, "It has this somewhat melodic quality to it while still retaining that rough edge that makes it that much more… attractive." He finished off with a sort of leer that caused Hera to blush and look away. While she was busy berating herself for being so easily affected. Echo couldn't help but note that she was much more beautiful when she blushed. It was a good thing that she was often easily flustered, something that he had discovered in the first few days of being in her presence. Although she would not speak, she often blushed at even his less provocative comments. He laughed to himself. It seemed as if she were still a virgin and wasn't already married, to the biggest cheater in history no less. The thought was like a splash of cold water, causing the nymph to go sober. He was there in the first place because of that blasted cheater._

_"Hey, are you well?" Hera said breaking through his thoughts. It took some time for him to register that she had been speaking to him. "Figures, the only time you stop talking is when I finally decide to respond." Not wanting her to worry, he forced a laugh in reply._

_"My Dear, you have been responding this whole time," Echo replied, "it is only now that you choose to respond vocally. Do not fret for your every answer was etched upon your every feature."_

_"Oh, really?" Hera asked skeptically raising an eyebrow._

_"Oh, yes, I could read clearly. 'When will this fool stop talking? I have half a mind to cut out his tongue.'," he finished off with a laugh._

_"…" she paused regarding him for a moment then nodded slowly, "you read well." Echo was also most proud to note the smallest of smiles tugging at her lips._

**Just a bit curious, but would it make any difference if I placed an author's note in the middle of a story? Please don't mind me. Please comment if this part makes you feel happier or sadder or prettier or whatever. Just a small experiment to satiate my spontaneous curiosity. Carry on...**

Thing were peaceful for a while, and during that time, the two grew close, very close. Too bad he had to go and wreck it by opening his big mouth.

_"Do you know what your problem is?" Echo said breaking the long silence._

_"No," Hera answered fearing the direction of this conversation, "but I don't particularly wish to find out."_

_"Well," he began not really caring for her answer, "you, My Dear, are sadly, mournfully in need of love."_

_"Nonsense," she replied, her lips forming a thin line, "I have a husband. How can I not be in love?" At this Echo barked out a harsh laugh._

_"No, I do not doubt your love for a single moment, Sweetness," he answered in a calm tone then changing to a bitter tone, "It is the love of your supposed husband that is severely lacking."_

_"You haven't even met my husband—"_

_"Exactly," Echo interrupted, "I haven't met him. Surely if I haven't met him after being here for almost a year—"_

_"Don't you dare even imply such a thing!" Hera screeched going on the defensive, "Of course he loves me. He chose me. He chose me because he loves me!"_

_"If he loves you then why does he not stay with you," Echo retorted, "Those in love can hardly bear the burden of being apart."He flashed a warm smile hoping to lighten the mood with his cheesy lines._

_"Ha!" She laughed derisively, "What do you know of love? As far as I have heard you wanted to get away from love. So what happened? Did you get your little heart broken by another nymph that had better things to do than to put up with your constant prattling?" For the first time, Echo was struck speechless. It wasn't a nymph that broke his heart…_

_"At least I'm not stuck in some sad fantasy world about someone that doesn't even care about me," Echo said without thinking and instantly regretted it. For a moment it seemed as if she would curse him, but nothing happened. He looked at Hera to see the saddest expression on her face. She only turned and walked out of the room. Echo groaned to himself; he had messed up royally._

**I'm sorry if it isn't too short; I'm not quite you for reading this. :) Please give a comment or leave a complaint. I don't really mind. Writing isn't exactly my forte. I struggled putting the second part up because I felt that the story was moving too much, but what's done is done so meh. Sorry if I may be a tad bit lazy on this part, but it's been a pretty busy week. Then again, I suppose that really isn't much of an excuse considering that it is summer and I am still a student. Hm, is there anyway that this loving and gracious audience would forgive me for wasting this time with this half-hearted, second-rate literature? ... I guess not. Anyways have a great fortnight, and see you next time. Hah, yeah... sorry.  
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